All who handfed their babies...

[robopetz]

Hi there,

 

Wanted to see who all handfed their babies. I have handfed majority of my flock from just 3-4 weeks old. This is my first grey though. Wanted to see what tips suggestions would you all have on raising a CAG from this age, anything welcome. I have done a ton of research but the more you know then the better.

 

Take care =)

[Dave007]

Actually, we strongly discourage people from handfeeding/ buying unweaned babies. There's many problems that can crop up and I feel that breeders selling their chicks at an unweaned stage are risking the health and well being of the chicks. That's been documented for years and it doesn't only apply to greys. People who are selling unweaned chicks are only trying to make fast money. A well check after purchase done by a vet can't get the full results of those tests because of the age of those chicks. In the UK and related countries, it's against the law to sell unweaned chicks. On this board and other boards there's been too many serious problems that have occurred by having unweaned chicks. There's those people like yourself who have the experience to do that but on this board and other boards, the amount of people doing that are in the minority. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. I breed greys and I would never sell unweaned chicks even to people who will offer me double the price for an unweaned chick.

[robopetz]

I totally agree! If I did not have the experience I have then I wouldnt even trust myself in doing so. I have done so much research and have taken a avian certificate course to better my knowledge of birds in general. It is like a child you want whats best for them and you want to raise them right. I was lucky to meet a cockatiel breeder when I was 15, learned allot from him. He was able to teach me hand feeding and some basics of birds.

 

On another note. My lil baby I think just learned how to use his/her voice. Seems to be more vocal with the baby sounds, too cute! Lil one likes to play longer now before going back into the box. Still trying to decide on a good name. So far maybe its Riley, Alex, and Skylar... But im still looking for now hahah I get too picky when it comes to naming them.

 

Take care yall! =)

[Guest]

This may not be the politically correct answer that most would like to hear but .......In my honest opinion, I believe:if you have done your research then you are taking the same risk of hand feeding that the breeder did when they first started out. You also hopefully have the best interest in the bird as this will be a life long friend to you and a lot of times the breeder is breeding to the bottom line. Everyone that hand feeds had to start somewhere! I know that breeders do not feed all their babies themselves so what happens? The scenario goes like this...they hire someone..show them how it is done and that person helps with the feeding. The people they hire are just looking for a job and may or may not have any knowledge of a bird or its anatomy. They just go along and feed ...feed ..feed. This is done quickly most times and if the bird is being fussy...oh well moving on! This by NO means is indicative to all breeders but a lot in MHO. Breeding ...lets be honest is a business and every business is about the bottom line. Yes, breeders want to bring up a healthy, happy, pet so they do take care of their own but I feel that it is to "sell" the healthy, happy pet...not to love them for the rest of their lives. Like the buyer in MOST cases.

 

On that note I do believe that you must do research and if you are going to hand feed then you must "train" with the breeder to learn for a while so that you know what you are doing. Hand feeding is a risk no matter who is doing it. It is not as natural as the mommy bird feeding her young!

Please do not take offense to this post as I am only stating my opinion and I am not trying to stir any pots...just giving an opinion and another look at the delicate subject. BTW- I can also argue the fact that there are pet owners that don't take great care of their pets either!

Edited October 28, 2014 by ~ : <> Lori

[Dave007]

This may not be the politically correct answer that most would like to hear but .......In my honest opinion' date=' I believe:if you have done your research then you are taking the same [b']risk[/b] of hand feeding that the breeder did when they first started out. You also hopefully have the best interest in the bird as this will be a life long friend to you and a lot of times the breeder is breeding to the bottom line. Everyone that hand feeds had to start somewhere! *****I know that breeders do not feed all their babies themselves so what happens? The scenario goes like this...they hire someone..show them how it is done and that person helps with the feeding.***** The people they hire are just looking for a job and may or may not have any knowledge of a bird or its anatomy. *****They just go along and feed ...feed ..feed.****** This is done quickly most times and if the bird is being fussy...oh well moving on! This by NO means is indicative to all breeders but a lot in MHO. Breeding ...lets be honest is a business and every business is about the bottom line. Yes, breeders want to bring up a healthy, happy, pet so they do take care of their own but I feel that it is to "sell" the healthy, happy pet...not to love them for the rest of their lives. Like the buyer in MOST cases.

 

On that note I do believe that you must do research and if you are going to hand feed then you must "train" with the breeder to learn for a while so that you know what you are doing. Hand feeding is a risk no matter who is doing it. It is not as natural as the mommy bird feeding her young!

Please do not take offense to this post as I am only staying my opinion and I am not trying to stir any pots...just giving the opinion and another look at the delicate subject. BTW- I can also argue the fact that their are pet owners that don't take great care of their pets either!

 

 

Well, years ago, I taught my wife how to deal with birds---hand feeding, abundance feeding, time schedule feeding and guess what? I never hired her! Now a days, she does most of the feeding because during hockey season I'm too busy watching my hockey games. She knows better than to disturb me. The person being taught how to hand feed is being taught by a mentor. There's different types of breeders--breeders who sell quality chicks and breeders who sell quantity chicks. There's a huge difference.

Feed, feed, feed????---I have a lot more respect for people who take the time to feed, feed, feed specially over a long period of time. That's called abundance feeding which creates a strong healthy chick. Any chick can't be force fed. They simply won't accept food when they're finished a feeding. Most importantly, A chick will tell the feeder when to stop feeding a particular feeding. A parrot only suffers when a bird is not fed, fed ,fed.

 

Ps, just by what the OP said, I'm convinced that he/she knows what to do but if I use that person to do hand feeding, I won't hire he /she. It would actually be a privilege for the person to be allowed to deal with my birds because my breeders have a lot to say about who feeds them.

[Guest]

 

Dave007;310831]Well, years ago, I taught my wife how to deal with birds---hand feeding, abundance feeding, time schedule feeding and guess what? I never hired her! The person being taught how to hand feed is being taught by a mentor.

 

My point exactly---someone has to be taught at some point. No you have not hired your wife but you TAUGHT her and now she is doing it successfully I am sure.

You yourself had to be taught at some point as well.

 

 

 

There's different types of breeders--breeders who sell quality chicks and breeders who sell quantity chicks. There's a huge difference.

I believe this statement to be true as well. However they both have a common factor they are selling.

 

Feed, feed, feed????---I have a lot more respect for people who take the time to feed, feed, feed specially over a long period of time. That's called abundance feeding which creates a strong healthy chick. Any chick can't be force fed. They simply won't accept food when they're finished a feeding. Most importantly, A chick will tell the feeder when to stop feeding a particular feeding. A parrot only suffers when a bird is not fed, fed ,fed.

 

My point was not that they were being fed, fed, fed but the opposite really. I meant that they just do a feeding without the real care and bonding behind the feeding. An owner will take more care and bond while hand feeding ...in my opinion.

 

Ps, just by what the OP said, I'm convinced that he/she knows what to do but if I use that person to do hand feeding, I won't hire he /she. It would actually be a privilege for the person to be allowed to deal with my birds because my breeders have a lot to say about who feeds them.

 

 

 

I am not familiar with your background..breeder? or just an owner of a bird?, not sure what you mean by YOUR breeders? but I feel the same ...that it is a privilege to hand feed a bird. It also takes care, time, and love to bond with each particular bird as they are all different...... as we all know.

 

 

Keep in mind that I am a rookie at all of this....it is just my opinion.

Thanks for listening and for your feedback.

Edited October 28, 2014 by ~ : <> Lori

[SRSeedBurners]

I'm a hand-feeder too. Except my 'baby' is two years old and we both know dang well she still doesn't need the baby food anymore. :)

 

Every time I have to break out the baby food, she's right there to ask for some. We have a snowflake quail that isn't doing so good, so I broke out the baby food last week - here comes GreycieMae for her share. This went on for 3 days until the snowflake returned to good health.

 

P.S. I don't cross-contaminate either. Greycie got hers first before I headed down to hand feed the quail and then sanitize myself like I had Ebola.

[Dave007]

I am not familiar with your background..breeder? or just an owner of a bird?, not sure what you mean by YOUR breeders? but I feel the same that it is a privilege to hand feed a bird. It also takes care, time, and love to bond with each particular bird as they are all different...... as we all know.

 

Others here can tell you about my breeding experience. I've been breeding greys for 25 yrs. and I also have pet greys besides the breeding pair.

As far as bonding and caring about chicks, the only caring the chicks want is to be fed so they can immediately go to sleep after defecating. As far as trying to bond with a chick, it's the person who buys a chick who's job it is to bond with their new family member. The magic word is *family*. The seller stays neutral in that area.

[Guest]

I am not familiar with your background..breeder? or just an owner of a bird?, not sure what you mean by YOUR breeders? but I feel the same that it is a privilege to hand feed a bird. It also takes care, time, and love to bond with each particular bird as they are all different...... as we all know.

 

Others here can tell you about my breeding experience. I've been breeding greys for 25 yrs. and I also have pet greys besides the breeding pair.

As far as bonding and caring about chicks, the only caring the chicks want is to be fed so they can immediately go to sleep after defecating. As far as trying to bond with a chick, it's the person who buys a chick who's job it is to bond with their new family member. The magic word is *family*. The seller stays neutral in that area.

 

Maybe I am not making myself clear ...but what you said is MY POINT Exactly.. I think who better to feed YOUR baby then you...the one who loves it and wants to bond with it. As long as you do your research and someone with experience shows you how. This way, the "seller" is able to pass the chic onto someone who is interested in bonding and caring for it..."it's new family" instead of the chic being just that...another chic for sale.

[robopetz]

I'm a hand-feeder too. Except my 'baby' is two years old and we both know dang well she still doesn't need the baby food anymore. :)

 

Every time I have to break out the baby food, she's right there to ask for some. We have a snowflake quail that isn't doing so good, so I broke out the baby food last week - here comes GreycieMae for her share. This went on for 3 days until the snowflake returned to good health.

 

P.S. I don't cross-contaminate either. Greycie got hers first before I headed down to hand feed the quail and then sanitize myself like I had Ebola.

 

Too funny, because I can relate! Every time there is a new baby they come to me like it was yesterday that they were still being hand fed. Some even sneak in and get a taste when I am not looking.

 

Update on the lil one. He/she (I wish I knew the sex! but we'll just say "He" for now) is getting more and more feathers. Getting strong too! Just a while ago after a feeding he climbed right up onto my lap over a towel. Walking better and better each day and always surprising me with how fast he is learning things already, very smart birds even as babies. He like to nibble on the towel and once in awhile will try to bite/play with his toys. After that, snuggles up against me and does a few beak grinding then off to sleep. I just adore all those baby sounds. Still cant decide on a name yet but so far the winner is Riley, while I still have my eyes open for others.

 

Yes, this baby CAG, my child, will be my life long friend!

[Guest]

Robopetz~ best wishes to you with your little one. Seems like he/she is in great loving hands.

 

Ps. I will hand feed as long and as much as my little one desires.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Many people do a great job, hand feeding their babies. I personally, like to adopt a bird around 16 weeks. Just my education with my bird guy, whom has been an important person in our lives. Nancy

[katana600]

I have been following this thread and didn't feel like I had anything to offer since I got a weaned six month old. What I do want to say is our breeder had been hand raising chicks for thirty years. There was no doubt in my mind that all three of her chicks were more than a business. She and her husband taught them to fledge, to get along in the world and how to be birds. They really put their heart and soul into those babies. I learned to hand feed from them and thankfully had the confidence to do so when my baby got sick. I had to give him meds and hand feed to give him nutrients when he started losing weight rapidly. He passed away and we had a necropsy that confirmed he had PDD. I did have a fantastic mentor and vet support and did learn to feed him out of necessity. While I have no doubts Lori and Robopetz are caring, competent and really committed, hand feeding and bonding change the dynamics in the event of an unfortunate loss. The breeder lovingly cares for the baby with the knowledge of preparing it to leave and love someone else. When we bring our baby home it does become family and even after five years, the pain of losing Juno is still as raw and breathtaking as the day he died. I only had him seven weeks. If I had it to do all over again, I would still want a weaned fledgling because I believe over all with all baby birds the mortality rate is much higher in the first weeks regardless of who is hand feeding. I also believe the decades of experience learning how to give just enough attention to help them thrive and just enough independence to stimulate self reliance and curiosity. It's all a fine balance. For the two who have decided to hand feed,you have my greatest respect and I know you are taking every step to learn to do it well. I just have had a learning lesson that gives me a different perspective.

[Guest]

katana-so sorry for the loss of your loved one.

 

I don't feel like I should have to reiterate or defend my position on this subject but I do want to clarify that I am not saying that breeders are bad at taking care of their own birds(as in the case of katana's breeder) or the birds that they are selling...I am simply pointing out that the chicks new family member ( when he/she puts the time to educate themselves and learns how to hand feed)..is a better choice to hand feed. I feel the risk is the same no matter who is feeding but the benefits that the chic and their owner receive are very rewarding.

 

How do breeders become such experts? They took the same risk when they were starting out. Does that make them any different than you or I? Did they go to VET school to learn how to hand feed? If they did...then we are talking about a difference but not so in most cases.

 

There were a lot of variables that went into my decision to hand feed. I did a lot of research and reading of different books and articles including vet books. I educated myself. If you do your homework, you will be more than capable if not more than.

 

Just my $.02

[katana600]

Thank you Lori for caring. There are certain highly motivated people who will research, have a mentor and training for the dedicated and loving task of hand feeding a just pulled chick. There will be those who are successful and it will be the benchmark for the greatest experience in their life. There is nothing I would wish to detract from those successful experiences. A person so inclined and so passionate may well want to become a vet tech, vet or perhaps even a breeder. Sadly though, that's not going to be the majority. I wish you both the very best and that your lifetime commitment spans decades.

[robopetz]

Getting big so fast!

 

[robopetz]

Growing so fast. Preparing his/her cage soon so when he is ready to graduate from the brooder then his home(cage) will be ready for him. Ummm ya, I am still trying to figure out a name for the lil one. I literally spend hours a day looking up names or even just randomly just coming up with names hahaha. When I posted another pic earlier I though to myself as I was snapping the pics.. He looks just like Happy Feet, a baby penguin. lol. So I thought of naming him after a character from the movie but I didnt find any interest in them. Then I thought... Maybe Happy? But the more I said the name Happy the more I didnt like it. UGH! Why am I so picky when it comes to names.... Again, I am open for suggestions yall hahahah

 

Sorry I will just call the lil one "Baby" for now since thats what his nickname is for now. But baby is so smart for being so young already. Full of personality already too. Baby, only 5 weeks and some days old, already know to step up on my hand to come out of the brooder for feeding time. Its amazing! Follow this thread for more pics and stories to come yall. Take care! =) Oh, and ill come back to check for your name suggestions too ::hint hint:: hahahaha

[aunali9]

hey! i got Echo when he was 4 weeks old and hand fed him myself. i had guidance, but of course not around the clock. ended up scared as hell every time the little guy poo'd too hard haha. i must say even though i figure there wasn't any real bonding on his part because he probably couldnt focus right at that age, it was a pleasure to watch him grow right in front of me. i dont advocate buying unweaned babies but if i had a choice i would like to buy from a breeder that would let me come and take a look at a growing chick before he was fully weaned and ready to go home! im a med student and its quite interesting the way humans grow and mature. birds do it fast enough for it to really be noticeable and really is fascinating

 

some photos of echo there. have plans to try to make him a youtube star in a week or so. have a load of videos of him that need to be shown to the world

[Timbersmom]

All I can say is awwwww.... What sweet baby pics! Can't wait to see the videos.

[robopetz]

hey! i got Echo when he was 4 weeks old and hand fed him myself. i had guidance, but of course not around the clock. ended up scared as hell every time the little guy poo'd too hard haha. i must say even though i figure there wasn't any real bonding on his part because he probably couldnt focus right at that age, it was a pleasure to watch him grow right in front of me. i dont advocate buying unweaned babies but if i had a choice i would like to buy from a breeder that would let me come and take a look at a growing chick before he was fully weaned and ready to go home! im a med student and its quite interesting the way humans grow and mature. birds do it fast enough for it to really be noticeable and really is fascinating

 

some photos of echo there. have plans to try to make him a youtube star in a week or so. have a load of videos of him that need to be shown to the world

 

"YouTube Star" I love it!!! My Sun Conure Charlie has a FB page. Thanks for sharing these pics.

[robopetz]

He/She has a name!!!!! Lol

It's Beemo

What do yall think? And for you folks who have been fallowing me thank you all for the suggestions and yes, it took me three weeks to name this lil one lol. Beemo is named after a character in Adventure Time. Anyone watched that show? BMO, but I spell it as Beemo. Go google it and you will see lol. So here's Beemo! 6 weeks old now

 

[SRSeedBurners]

Well, if you are like us, you'll wish you would have named them something else

 

When I named Greycie, I quickly found out just how dang many people name their Greys a variant of Greycie or Greyson. I should have called her Princess Penelope or something like that..Penelope would have worked good because it fits her. With the amount of time she spends in trouble, I am usually always calling her GreycieMae and it has stuck.

 

With our other two knuckleheads:

 

Toby our Caique, I keep wanting to call him Elvis. He has that slick jet-black doo on the top of his head. Wife wouldn't let me

 

Rio our Jardines - we all are now in agreement that he should have been named Romeo. He is such a sweettalker and smooth operator with my wife. He really knows how to pour on the sugar. He gets called Romeo Rio a lot now.

[robopetz]

More and more feathers.....

 

[Timbersmom]

What a sweetheart!

[robopetz]

He is getting very interested in toys now. He dont mind seeing and playing with new toys everyday. Trying to get him used to something new almost everyday.

 

 

Question.... He is also learning to grip with his feet now. Those baby toe nails are already super sharp and cutting up my arm and palms when I carry the lil one. I was planning on just filing down a tiny bit of the sharp ends. This is fine right? I also have been getting him used to me touching his wings and toes, seemed to not mind, although sometimes he will try and pull his wing away. So filing his nails may be a good practice too so that he will be used to in the future for nail trims. What do yall think?

 

Take care!